In the Gambia, CorpsAfrica will focus on climate change and resilience, emphasising its green initiatives. The volunteers will identify the sectors of greatest need to implement small-scale solutions to build resilience in the community, thereby contributing to community development.
In an event held at the SDKJ conference centre, Foday Bojang, CorpsAfrica country director, stated that CorpsAfrica's mission and objective are to provide opportunities for African youth to serve as volunteers in their own countries along the lines of the Peace Corps model. He added that the volunteers would be sent to rural Gambia to live for a year to facilitate small-scale and high-income projects identified by local communities.
“CorpsAfrica further aims to promote a culture of public service in Africa by allowing participants to apply their education, skills and energy towards helping their fellow citizens overcome extreme poverty,” he said. “Specifically, CorpsAfrica seeks to promote the professional and personal development of young Africans to establish a strong Pan-African community and network of public service, and to connect rural areas to the vast resources and innovations of diverse NGOs in the country.”
Mr Bojang added that his organisation would also build the capacity of rural villagers to create self-sufficiency in every sector they deal with while reiterating that volunteers reach out to local people, facilitate and help community projects to address critical needs and build local capacity. He thanked the Ministry of Enveroment, Climate Change and Natural Resources.
Adama Bah, chairperson of the board of directors for CorpsAfrica, said that in their first meeting, they promised to do their utmost to grow the organisation to the level of excellence they desire. He added that they could do it, given the fact that they could learn from the challenges and successes of other sister organisations.
He told the volunteers that volunteering is not for them to spend time doing selfless activities to help others but to have a greater impact than that. Volunteerism nurtures the spirit of giving after receiving so much from their parents, friends and society.
He continued that one needs to understand that in this world, no one lives without the contribution of others, saying this is true about the Gambia. Citing examples, Mr Bah highlighted that other Gambians may live far from home but have been contributing over the years to “our development by paying taxes” that built the schools and universities, hospitals and roads among others.
“This is why we live together as a people and as a nation,” he said, adding: “Giving back to people is paying back to help your nation grow and fulfilling your responsibility to your country and humanity at large. It doesn't stop there, this brings opportunities to your development, makes you know your country better, grow into a valuable member of society, develops your life skills as you get to know other circumstances outside your comfort zone and makes you a better person by appreciating life more and value what you have.”
Kemo Fatty of Green Up Gambia explained that The Gambia is ground zero of climate change, noting that volunteers have the potential to build the future of those who are yet to feel the hard consequences of these crises. In less than a generation, he stated: “Millions of our stream water sources have dried up, native forests that used to be good, medicinal and providing shelter are all gone and extreme weather conditions are making life so hard for people.”
He also said: “In 2012, nearly 8,000 Gambians filed for asylum in Italy alone. Half of those who finish university leave this country. More and more, we are going to a separation of desperation where the young do not feel the need to stay anymore to help. We have been trying to remodel development so that we can be able to get the best to our communities in the simplest ways.”
